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April 27th, 2009

ROYAL ARCANUM COUNCIL, NO. 1609

Watsontown Council, Royal Arcanum Council, No. 1609 was instituted on April 1, 1895 by the Grand Council of Pennsylvania. Since the date of organization it has represented a life insurance indemnity among the membership of almost two hundred thousand dollars. The members were each insured in sums ranging from one thousand to three thousand dollars, payable to their families in event of death. The council met in the Marsh block on the Second and Fourth Thursday evenings of each month at 7:30 o’clock. The first officers were: D.F. Barto, past regent; L.L. Lewis, regent; Charles Heyl, vice regent; W.A. Nicely, collector; L.N. Frymire, secretary; W.F. Shay, orator; Rev. W.K. Foster, chaplain; A.I. Kremer, treasurer; Charles A. Otto, guide; W.W. Bardole, sentry; and William McLain, warden. The national organization founded in 1877 in Boston was a benefit society operating under the fraternal system that offered affordable life insurance to the larger public that previous to the mid to late 1800s was only obtainable by a prosperous minority. The organization endorsed the principles of good citizenship through love of country, home and friends. The name “Royal Arcanum” means royal secret and the number 1105 was thought to be mystical. According to records with the National Royal Arcanum, the Watsontown Council existed from 1896 to about 1928, but owing to the Stock Market Crash of 1929 the membership dropped.

Regents

1895

Lawrence L. Lewis

1907

1919

1896

1908

1920

1897

1909

1921

1898

1910

1922

R.L. Roe

1899

1911

1923

1900

1912

1924

1901

1913

1925

1902

1914

1926

Lawrence L. Lewis

1903

1915

1927

D.A. Showers

1904

1916

1928

1905

1917

1929

D.F. Barto

1906

1918

1930

Last Modified: 04/27/09

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